1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved method of manufacturing a garment with an artistic or graphical design elements thereon, such as art work, logos, printed matter and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improved method for preparing and attaching graphical design elements to a desired outer surface of a garment wherein the design includes three dimensional polymer elements that are injection molded to the garment by placing the garment in-between die members, one of which has an open die cavity area that engages the garment surface during application of the polymer to define the shape of the three dimensional elements, the design material being an injection moldable polymer, such as silicone polymer, that is forced into the die cavity, to the selected surface of the garment and into a substantial portion of the garment fabric pores so as to impregnate the garment in-between its inner and outer surfaces so as to form an attachment.
2. General Background
There are many methods presently in use for attaching artistic matter, printed matter, designs, logos, and the like to clothing. One common method of attaching a design element to an article of clothing is simply sewing a design element of fabric, felt, wool, or plastic. Another method of attaching a design element to an article of clothing is known as silk-screening. Silk-screening or silk-screen printing is a process of printing a flat color design through a piece of silk. The silk is tightly stretched on a wooden frame and a design is transferred to the silk. The parts of the design not to be printed are stopped out with a resin medium. Ink is pushed through the open mesh of the design area with a rubber edge squeegee. Only one color can be printed at a time using this method.
Many patents have issued that relate to the transfer of design elements to an article of clothing. An example of an early patent that discusses the attachment of insignia or appliques to clothing is the Holick patent 2,926,439 entitled "PROOF PLASTIC INSIGNIA AND NAME PLATE HOLDER-COVER".
The application of pictures to a garment is discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,055,133 entitled "JACKET WITH PICTURE POCKETS" issued to Kenneth Anderson. The Anderson patent discloses a vest like jacket having rectangular pockets that are clear so that when photographs are placed in a pocket, they can be seen through the clear plastic material. The clear pockets are formed by a plastic material sewed upon the jacket and divided into individual pockets by cross-sewing.
A doll figure that has appliques is disclosed in the Vandis patent 4,710,145.
The Erhardt et al. patent 4,815,149 entitled "FABRIC CLOTHING INCLUDING A THREE DIMENSIONAL PATTERN" shows an article of apparel such as a T-shirt that includes multiple fabric layers. The T-shirts includes a fabric layer upon which is attached a three dimensional molded article providing a three dimensional relief pattern on the front part of the T-shirt. The three dimensional molded part includes a flat base disk and raised relief parts with the disk being attached to the T-shirt fabric leaving a hollow area in-between the fabric and the raised parts.
An article of clothing to which a three dimensional applique has been applied to provide a decorative effect is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,837,864 issued to Thill. The Thill patent provides an applique that is of a flexible non-cloth material such as vinyl, various plastics or rubber which is attached to the front of panel of a T-shirt or sweater. The attachment is accomplished either through sewing or other positive connectors. The three dimensional applique is formed through various molding processes and the shirt or sweater may be cut to receive same.
The Akada et al. patent 4,923,848 relates to image formation on any selected kind of objective body. The objective body is discussed as being cards, clothes, papers, and transparent sheets. An example of a garment having a decorative applique is seen in the Diaz patent 5,005,219. An image is manufactured directly on a garment, such as by silk-screening. Chenille is sewn about the border of the image, thereby creating a shape with a chenille outline and an interior image. The decorative shapes are said to be letters, numbers, mascots, characters or symbols.
Another patent that discusses the application of an applique to clothing is the LaGreca patent 5,241,919. In the LeGreca patent there is disclosed an applique design produced on a garment or other fabric article by providing a chenille material having a fabric base and a plurality of cut or looped threads extending from an upper surface of a fabric base and applying a flexible backing material to a lower surface of the chenille material. The chenille material is cut to form edges having an outline of a desired design and disposed over a garment or fabric base. A polymer film is overlaid on the upper surface of the chenille material and a design is stitched over the film to the chenille material and a garment or fabric base. The stitching comprises closely spaced thread which covers and compresses portions of the film and chenille material. The film provides a barrier layer to prevent the thread loops from extending between the closely spaced thread of the stitching. The film is removed from the unstitched portions of the upper surface of the chenille material whereby the desired design is formed by the stitched and unstitched portions of the chenille material.
An example of a recent patent that relates to the display of art on a T-shirt or other textile product is U.S. Pat. No. 4,838,965 issued to Janice Bussard and entitled "HOLOGRAPHIC ART APPLIED TO T-SHIRTS OR OTHER TEXTILE PRODUCTS". The Bussard '965 patent discloses a hologram being adhered to a textile fabric by means of a silk screen printing ink while at the same time printing a graphic on the textile; the ink embedding the hologram edges therein and the ink containing an ingredient to bond with the hologram.
Another Bussard patent is U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,767 entitled "HOLOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS WITH IMPROVED SEALS". The '767 patent discloses an improved process for cutting and simultaneously sealing the cut edges of holographic materials comprising cutting with a hot cutting tool. Suitable cutting tools include a steel rule die, a hot tipped cutter, and a laser. The resulting product can be attached easily to a substrate and will resist delaminations even when attached to a substrate such as a textile material that will be subjected to ordinary washing and drying.
The Fry patents 4,956,040 and 5,073,222 relate to methods of adhering design elements to textile wearing apparel. Each of these patents discloses a method for adhering holograms to textile wearing apparel involving the steps of laminating a precut hologram between a clear polyester coating and an adhesive scrim backing to envelop the hologram and protect it from moisture and scuffing, cutting margins away from the laminated hologram to form an enveloped hologram and applying the enveloped hologram to wearing apparel at a temperature of between approximately two hundred seventy degrees and three hundred degrees Fahrenheit (270.degree. F.-300.degree. F.) under a pressure of approximately thirty to fifty (30 to 50) psi for a period of approximately eight to fifteen (8 to 15) seconds. A hologram becomes firmly adhered to the wearing apparel and remains impervious to moisture after repeated machine washing and drying cycles.
Recent patents that disclose the concept of an aperture garment having an envelope structure or pocket for displaying an article are the Fox patent 5,173,968 and the Kenneth et al. patent 5,398,345. The Fox '968 patent discloses an article constituted of pieces of self-adhesive pliable plastic which form a well sealed enveloping structure with may be manually unsealed and opened for the insertion of decorative or information conveying material and then manually closed again and well re-sealed at least one piece of plastic being transparent then at least one piece being selected so as to permit viewing of decorative information conveying material in the enveloping structure.
The Kenneth '345 patent discloses a combination aperture garment product and object adapted for securement in the pocket, where the pocket is attached to the garment by seams and has apertures therein. The object, which may be a teddy bear having appendages, is adapted to be removably secured in the pocket so that the appendages extend outside of the pocket through the apertures and are visible when positioned in the pocket. The apertures are arranged through the pocket panel spaced apart from the seams. The garment may have two dimensional graphic indicia arranged on it and the three dimensional object, when secured in the pocket, forms a part of the graphic indicia.